Jack Kevorkian Dead at 83

Dr. Jack Kevorkian, also known as “Dr. Death,” died early this morning at 83 years old. He died at Beaumont Hospital in Michigan. He had been admitted two weeks ago for kidney and heart problems.

The doctor became famous for performing assisted suicides for terminally ill patients. He was believed to have supported and assisted 130 suicides. In 1999, he was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced in 10-25 years in prison.

He was released in 2007.

In 1987, Kevorkian started advertising in the newspaper as a physician consultant for “death consulting.” His first assisted suicide made public was to Janet Adkins, an Alzheimer patient. He was charged with murder but the charges were later dropped since laws did not outlaw assisted suicide at the time. He was known for famously saying, “Dying is not a crime.”

At a public lecture at the University of Florida in 2008, Kevorkian told a crowd,“”My aim in helping the patient was not to cause death. “My aim was to end suffering. It’s got to be decriminalized.”

The HBO Movie “You Don’t Know Jack” was released last year. Al Pacino portrayed the famous doctor and won an Emmy and Golden Globe for the role.